The Establishment of a Palestinian Police Force in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: Brynjar Lia

One main reason why Israel decided to reach a settlement with the
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1992-93 was the belief that
violence emanating from the Occupied Territories would come to an end if
the PLO were allowed to assume responsibility for internal security in the
Palestinian-populated areas.! The Israeli government persuaded public
opinion of the wisdom of the Oslo Accords by arguing that these would
relieve the Israeli army of 'the burden of occupation'; furthermore, that
PLO leader Arafat 'could combat terrorism more effectively than the IDF
(Israeli Defence Forces) because he does not have to worry (as the prime
minister does) about the legality of his methods'.2 This in turn meant that
the PLO would need a strong police force which could command respect
and obedience among the Palestinians and be capable of suppressing any
rejectionist groups who might want to continue the struggle against the
Israeli occupation.